28.01.2015 Views

The Future of Smallholder Farming in Eastern Africa - Uganda ...

The Future of Smallholder Farming in Eastern Africa - Uganda ...

The Future of Smallholder Farming in Eastern Africa - Uganda ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

wetland dra<strong>in</strong>age and cultivation. Similarly, farmers can be “pulled” <strong>in</strong>to more susta<strong>in</strong>able fr<strong>in</strong>ge<br />

cultivation with the availability <strong>of</strong> appropriate low cost technologies for water delivery, soil<br />

fertility management and improved upland varieties.It is not necessary to sacrifice one <strong>of</strong> the<br />

objectives <strong>of</strong> the critical triangle <strong>in</strong> order to achieve another. Rather than be<strong>in</strong>g mutually<br />

exclusive, it is imperative that policy seeks to maximize all three <strong>in</strong> order to achieve the most<br />

susta<strong>in</strong>able and balanced path <strong>of</strong> development to serve long-term human <strong>in</strong>terests. Diversity <strong>of</strong><br />

wetlands utilization, improved food security and enhanced agricultural productivity can more<br />

than coexist, they can become mutually enhanc<strong>in</strong>g. What is required is a conscious effort to pilot<br />

and promote the necessary improvements <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutions, technology and environmentally<br />

friendly production practices to simultaneously push out the production frontier and enhance<br />

biodiversity and wetlands conservation as envisioned and presented <strong>in</strong> the graph below.<br />

Wild Biodiversity<br />

and<br />

Habitat Quality<br />

From McNeely and Scherr, 2001. p. 78<br />

Agricultural<br />

Goods and Services

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!